I've Always Loved You - 29. The Movie, A Week

As the noise level increased, I felt even more at home and at peace. I loved Mike and I loved Chet, We were a family.

Mark entered and stopped. “Am I entering a family moment?”

I grinned, “Yes, that includes you. Come on in.”

Mark was still not used to this. “Really?” He asked in disbelief.

“Of course,” Mike agreed waving at Mark to come in further. “Chet calls you Uncle Mark, that makes you my brother.” He shrugged.

“Sure,” I grinned, “You’re my brother, too.” I waved him in further.

“You two are so...odd!” Mark marveled.

“To others, yes.” Mike agreed.

“To you, a big yes,” I smiled.

Mark grinned at Chet. “I heard you had a good day!”

“I did, Uncle Mark!” Chet answered happily. “Did you?”

“I did!” Mark answered nodding, “I watched your PopE do a great job.”

Chet smiled at that. “Will I see it?”

Mike looked a little uncertain, “It’s going to be a few months before they finish.”

“It’s a love story,” I patted Mike’s arm. “I’ll be playing a character that falls in love with someone else.”

Chet nodded, “I know.”

“Ya do?” Mike asked more uncertain. “How?”

“You and PopE!” Chet answered quickly. “You and he have talked about it for a while.”

“I will be naked with Tom in a few scenes,” I said cautiously.

“I know,” Chet grinned. “You three have talked about that for weeks.” He shrugged, “What’s the big deal?”

I chuckled, “It’s a big deal because it is also very adult.”

“Very,” Mike admitted reluctantly and sighed.

“I’ve seen you both naked before,” Chet said simply. “You both have seen me. I don’t understand.”

I shook my head, “I guess we should have done the discussions in Spanish.”

“Which would only have worked a year or so,” Mike grumbled. “His Spanish is improving every month!”

“And you and Dad speak different kinds of Spanish!” Chet inserted. “They are trying to teach me a European form of Spanish.” He pointed at his father, “You speak a form of Caribbean Spanish with a Miami variation.” He pointed at me. “You speak a Northern Mexican form of Spanish! It’s a miracle you two can talk at all!”

I elbowed Mike gently, “He understands more than we do.”

Mike grinned, “Yes, he does.” He grinned at Chet. “Many times films and movies have naked people in them, and they are considered pornographic which can be a bad thing.”

“What PopE is doing!?” Chet found unbelievable.

“No!” Mike answered immediately.

“Well,” I inserted. “By some views, yes.” I sighed. “I do shows that I will show a little skin.” I shrugged, “Always my butt. Nothing else. People think that’s too much.”

“Like grandma did?” Chet asked.

Mark, Mike, and I perked up hearing that, “When?” Mark asked quickly.

“A long time ago,” Chet answered. “I found a magazine grandpa had that was like forty years old. There was grandma with nothing on.” He waved it off. “This was before Mom. Before Uncle Johnny or Uncle Ronnie, so grandma said.”

“Do you remember the name of the magazine?” Mike asked.

Chet wavered his head, “I could barely read then. I think it was Playboy. I saw bunny ears, but I saw no bunnies.”

Mark chuckled, “It is a different sort of bunny.”

“She needed to pay rent or the electric bill,” I shrugged.

“No!” Mark said quickly. “Don’t let her by with this!” He demanded. “You have built a successful career and yes, you show a little ass!” He grinned as Chet grinned and hid his amusement.

“Back to this naked thing!” I directed our conversation. “A movie is where a group of people get together and pretend somethings to tell a story. People like your grandparents, who don’t think your dad and I should love each other need to see this story to understand our love is the same.” I looked at Mike, “Tom and I will be pretending to be two people that fall in love.” I held my finger up to Chet. “There are scenes Tom and I will be doing where is seems we will be having sex. Understand, I love your dad. I always have and always will. Only him.”

Chet nodded, “Okay.”

I looked at Mike, “We need to decide if Chet is old enough to see it.”

“He’s pretty advanced,” Mike grinned. “It will be his parents’ decision.” He chuckled, “That’s you and me.”

I nodded, “Fine.” I got up. “After a night’s dinner and a night’s sleep.”

“I forgot!” Mike defended. “Let’s get you some supper!”

 

I was doing nothing I was ashamed of. Did I feel confident enough for Chet to see the movie? Yet, I guess I did feel a bit ashamed. Mike wanted to keep his little boy longer, but was that fair?

The next morning I called Dr. Gathers that had helped so much with Sherri’s death. I called early but was surprised when she called back when she did.

She laughed, “You seem to forget your time zones. It’s two hours earlier here than there.”

I nodded, which she couldn’t see. “Right, I did forget that.” I glanced at my watch, “So, it’s after nine in the morning there.”

“That’s right,” she had a voice you heard the smile. “How can I help?”

I motioned Mike over, “We were having a discussion last night. Should Chet be allowed to see the premiere of this movie I’m working on?”

“Ahh,” she said back. “That’s a decision to be made by his parents.” She sighed, “Many parents take their underage children to movies those children could not go to ordinarily. With the parental consent it can go well.” I turned my phone’s volume up and on. “There is no violence in this film, right?”

“Well,” I began. “There is some violence when the parents of the other character is confronted by his gay life choice.”

She faltered, “Chet has been confronted by violence from his grandparents when they tried to take Chet in Las Vegas.” She sighed. “Many children see violence in movies their parents take them to see. He knows this is a movie you are doing, right?”

“I’ve told him several times,” I assured her.

“Perhaps you should show him,” she suggested. “Even show him some of the unedited videos of your performances. Let him see what you do. In many ways Chet is very grown up despite his repressed upbringing. The bottom line is you are to judge if he’s ready.” She chuckled. “You two are good parents. You’ve got five to six months before the premiere. You have time. Take him as you shoot the film a few times.”

“That’s not always exciting,” I admitted. “Hours of prepping for an hour or two of good shots.”

“Precisely,” she acknowledged. “By the way, I’m following this as a devoted fan now,”

I brightened, “Thanks, Doc!”

“And I think your message is a good one and told in an entertaining way,” she said. “Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you again!” I said. “We’ll stay in touch, I know it.”

“I hope you do,” she said pleasantly. “Goodbye for now.”

Closing the phoneline, I looked at Mike, “We said we’d call and...”

Mike looked puzzled, “Don’t apologize for being a good parent.” He grinned and kissed me, “and a good partner.”

 

We walked in as Chet was loving what Andy cooked this morning. “Dad, PopE! You’ve got to try this!” He pointed to the small sandwich he was eating.

Andy grinned, “He needs energy for his day.” He shrugged. “Those are Masala Slider Omelets. High protein...”

Mike groaned, “You and Cindy have got to cut this out! He’ll be spoiled when we get home.” He waved at the food. “How can I keep this up?”

Mark, who was eating his slider and enjoying a bowl of something, “Hire a cook.” He suggested simply.

“No worries,” Andy said happily. “I can show you somethings. Besides, he needs a little something as he’s away from home.”

“He’s on vacation now!” Mike protested. “How is he suffering?”

“The Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal is needed for Eric to do the best job,” Andy admitted and handed a steaming mug to Mike. “Your coffee. One cream and one sugar.”

Mike smirked, but took his coffee, “I’m already married, but I’d marry you or Cindy if I weren’t.”

Andy grudged a nod, “I’m taken, but Cindy’s available, I think. You’d have to ask her.”

“This morning,” I began. “I’m doing a show I was working on.” I sighed.

“No one’s seen?” Mark asked.

“Only me,” I grinned. “It’s a vampire show.”

“You’re a vampire?” Chet asked excitedly.

I chuckled, “No, I’m not. I play a man on the streets. A form of Laura Branigan’s song Self Control is the ongoing theme.” I smiled, “There’s also a gothic theme with the music and some tricky dance moves. Not to mention my usual energetic dances.”

“The vampires just want blood,” Mike said to understand.

“Right,” I nodded. “It’s a euphemism for love and sex.” I looked at Chet, “Which are two separate things.” I held my finger up to point out. “There will be five vampires that pursue me but I ward them off with a cross. One will win me over as I win him over because he understands that.”

“And he wins you over by biting you?” Mike asked.

I shook my head, “I win him over and he doesn’t bite me at all!” I stated happily. “In the end, I rescue him!”

Mike grinned, “I can’t wait to see it!”

“Yep,” I muttered. “And I will have to adapt it to a floor show.”

“I have no doubt you will,” Mark stated.

“This morning I will rehearse the dancers with what we need. They shoot it and then Daniel and Corey have their first date.” I shrugged, “I’ll be busy.” I said eating some of the Strawberries and Crème Oatmeal. “Chet’s right. This is delicious and Mike’s right. We may never go home.”

“Fine with me!” Andy stated and slid my cold vanilla latte at me. “The barista at the studio can give you another, but...”

Mike nodded, “You have a barista at the studio.”

“I swore Tom to silence about that,” I grumbled. “You were bound to find out.”

Mike sniffed, “I have a barista here. I’m fine.”

 

We rode again to the studio. This was Hollywood. Finding handsome guys who could dance was not a problem. Eliminating the less talented was a problem for me! I didn’t want to reject any of them! But these guys not only had to dance, but convey the emotion needed! We decided on Anthony Marcell, a man in his early thirties and a very handsome devil. I came to find out later he was married and had two children, a boy and a girl. A straight dancer in Hollywood!? Who knew? Well, he was, and he could dance and convince the audience he meant it! He did the required steps, and I was convinced. Illusion, remember? They all wore signature black that sparkled to show up even if the light was not as much on stage. We also did what I couldn’t. We did it in five takes. Through Hollywood’s magic it would seem flawless and the audience in the club were spellbound and cheered. Of course, they were, they were supposed to be. Dancing to tell a story is practically a ballet. The guests here knew there would be dancing. However, for just more than two hours there was a show. They came for that. Makeup done and the props were done well. The teeth were convincing, not the plastic teeth used by children, but looked like real teeth. The dance moves where they leaned in to bite me and I used that cross to ward them off. It was theater! Corey came during the performance and was also spellbound and stayed for the whole show. He even danced alone mostly. Not an uncommon thing with some of the clientele. If the guy near you wanted a dance, why not? It didn’t have to go further than the dancefloor.

I had told security to allow Corey Fielding up afterwards. I was in the little shower when he came in.

“Still up for this?” I asked as I soaped down and rinsed. “L.A. in the morning can be beautiful.” I grinned as I began drying off. The idea here was I would be naked, but you’ve heard it before. Hollywood. Corey reacted accordingly. I chuckled, “I work up a sweat with those dance moves. I needed to shower. Should I have had you wait outside?”

“What?” Corey stammered. “No, certainly not, but...” then he grinned. “You should have made me strip first.”

My eyebrows waggled, “Later, perhaps.” I looked at him. He was not in a suit, but jeans and shirt, again not off any rack. “An interesting idea, though.” I dressed and looked at him closer. “I suggest a good meal from where I go and a drive to the beach.” I took my phone out, “As soon as I find him.”

“You have to find him?” Corey asked.

“Sure,” I nodded. “The best Mexican food North of the boarder. He has a food truck. Teddy’s Tacos. He’s usually near Ocean and Wilshire. He’s very good.”

“A food truck?” Corey asked surprised.

“They have good ones in San Fransisco,” I chuckled. “This will be your first time?”

He nodded.

“Trust me,” I encouraged. “He’s up early and has great coffee, too.” I smiled, “There he is!”

We did the scene where I drove him to the food truck. I had my favorites playlist playing. No Doubt was singing Hella Good and then the Corrs began singing to leave them Breathless.

“This surprises me,” Corey admitted. “You like the Corrs?”

I nodded, “I love the Corrs.” I smiled. “This is my favorite song! I’m looking for a love that will leave me breathless. Love songs don’t have to be gender specific. You assume a lot from who is singing and to whom. Take that away and you have a great song for anyone. Those Irish singers are good! Poor Jim.”

“Who?” Corey asked.

“Exactly,” I grinned. “He’s a Corr! A brother and so often forgotten. Poor guy.”

“I’ll have to pay more attention,” Corey smiled.

 

He was parked in the park area overlooking the ocean and beach. The Santa Monica Pier was almost silent, and right there. There were the runners and those just out as the sun was coming up.

“This is my favorite time on the beach,” I said. “The quietest time of day.” We got to the truck as Teddy was opening. “Hi, Teddy!”

“Dan!” The man greeted happily. “My favorite customer! I haven’t seen you in two weeks!”

I waved my hands out helplessly, “I’m busy!”

“Sí, sí, demasiado ocupado para visitar a los amigos.” He griped with a smile.

“I’m here now and not alone,” I thumbed back at Corey. “Do you have the special ingredient for your coffee?”

“If I didn’t I’d lose my customers,” he glared at Corey. “You’re not a cop or anything?”

“Worse,” I grinned leaning in. “He’s a lawyer.” I looked at Corey. “He’s having an issue with his liquor license, so...”

Corey smiled, “I am a lawyer. I’ll look into it.”

“You’ve earned a free coffee fully loaded!” Teddy confessed, then held his finger up. “No entrapment!”

Corey chuckled, “I promise!”

“So,” Terry grinned. “What do you drink? He gets a latte every time. I can make better coffee than anybody!”

If I wasn’t in a studio I would swear this was real. Terry was a good friend of many years and made the best food in Southern California! I really lived here, and we were all becoming friends. Illusion again.

“Can you do a large Espresso?” Corey held his hands apart about six inches tall.

“Better than anyone!” Terry stated firmly and turned to do just that. He glanced back. “Are you driving?”

Corey pointed at me. “He is.”

Terry snorted, “He barely drinks. You’re fine. You want a couple of fingers?”

“Sure,” Corey nodded.

“You look like a bourbon guy,” Terry grinned.

“I am,” Corey nodded. He looked at me, “Coffee and bourbon? This early?”

“It’s after six in the evening somewhere,” I shrugged. “I’m already going to Hell, so why not?”

 

We sat in the park having our breakfast fish tacos to which Corey loved. The park was beautiful and in the movie they showed us sitting quietly as the Corrs sang Breathless quietly. I told him when the first radio boomed we were outta there.

When I drove to my apartment he was surprised I drove back to the Club!

“You live and work here?” Corey asked amazed.

“Sure do,” I nodded. I pointed. “Upstairs.” I smiled. “I’m inviting you up. I’m not ready for anything physical. I have a second bedroom. You’re welcome to stay. Or, if you have somewhere...”

“Can I?” He grinned. “I had a great date!”

I chuckled, “I suppose.”

His mouth got closer, and the kiss was almost chaste, but increased in passion. He never kissed a guy? He was damned good! “Come on, come on leave me breathless!”

There were going to be shots done for close ups. On site in Santa Monica, but we were done today! I was exhausted. Mark rushed over and hugged Tom and I. “You were great!”

“Thank you,” I muttered quietly. “I may fall asleep in the car.”

“Let’s get you to the car quickly then!” Mark turned me around and began pushing me. He looked at Tom, “You’ve moved. You are riding with us. I would be helping you but...”

“His manager,” Tom chuckled. ”Got it.”

 

We got home where Chet greeted me enthusiastically hugging me tightly. “Hi, PopE!” And he went into what he wanted to say. “I saw some of the videos of your show.” His brow wrinkled, “I don’t understand. They were very good! I wouldn’t have shown my butt. You did. What was wrong with it?”

“Some people think it’s porn,” I shrugged.

“People like to see your butt,” Chet reasoned. “Why?”

Mike pulled Chet to him, “As you get older...” he looked at Chet in mocking sternness. “Give me five years at least. You will be attracted to body parts for sex. The butt is one of them. Your PopE uses his to attract people.”

Chet shrugged, “I guess.” He looked up at Tom. “Uncle Tom!” He jumped up hugging a surprised Tom.

Mike smiled, “He collects Uncles and they are more valuable then those silly trading cards to Chet.”

Tom laughed, “I’m fine with that. Can we find a new name? Uncle Tom is a negative name with bad connotations.”

“He’ll think of one,” Mike reassured Tom. “When he knows the truth.”

“Good enough,” Tom hugged Chet tightly.

“Excuse me, sir,” Tankiso began coming in and looked at Tom. “Your things arrived. There are three bedrooms to choose from. I need to know which one to put you in.”

Mark waved at Tankiso, “This is Tankiso Matela the house manager. He’s a little different.”

“In this house,” Tankiso muttered. “That makes me normal.” He looked at me. “Cindy left you a Salmon Pasta Dish as you prefer a lighter high protein dinner.” He looked at Tom. “Is there a meal preference you have?”

“Anything you have is good,” Tom answered.

“There is a Chicken Stroganoff,” Tankiso said. “I can warm them both up.”

“That would be great,” Tom said.

Mike held me a minute more, “Amy found the Playboy spread Wynonna did.” He grinned, “Amy also filed the Custodial Interference in the second degree with the Atkins family. It should tie them up a few years. They can’t get Chet.”

I sighed, “I never wanted to cast them in the role of enemy.”

“They did that themselves,” Mike corrected. “We don’t have to be nice. They weren’t to us.”

I ate the wonderful dinner as we chatted. Tom, Mark, Mike, and Chet.

“I want to show you what I’ve been working on,” Mike said, and I could tell he really was proud of what he was doing.

“I’d love to,” I answered quickly.

Mike looked at the people at the table, “You, too. If you want to.” We went where there was a big screen and Mike pulled up a file. “This is rough but...”

“Show the damned file!” Mark griped.

“Okay, okay,” Mike grinned as the file began. The image of Mike who began speaking, “You’ve heard the many phrases such as, we’re here, we’re queer and get used to it.” He grinned, “I’m saying, we are. We didn’t ask your permission. We’re not asking for tolerance. We are. No amount of hatred or repression will change that. We aren’t just a few. So, I’m showing you just how many there are and that’s a small sample of what you will be fighting. This is worldwide! Take a look at the small amount you will fight! That number is because they couldn’t get there!”

“One, two, three, four!” The words sang as the instrumental entrance began. The general noise as people were gathering in different places, signs in different languages, yet all gathered for one purpose. “Everybody all around the world, gotta tell you what I just heard, there’s gonna be a party all over the world!” More people in cities all over were gathering in New York, California...you thought. “I got a message on the radio, but where it came from I don’t even know, and I heard these voices calling all over the world!” The familiar voices sang, “All over the world, everybody got the word, everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight!” The scene showed banners being raised. Thousands gathered lining up. Hundreds of thousands! All under a banner of pride! New York streets were crowded with what could have been a million marchers. Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Ottawa, British Columbia! And there supporting his citizens was Justin Trudeau, the hunky prime minister. He supported them! “Everybody walkin’ down the street, everybody moving to the beat, “They are going to get hot in the U.S.A. New York,” this time they showed the streets and the Statue of Liberty, so you knew where they were talking about, “Detroit,” they showed the Detroit Institute of Arts, Belle Island Park, and the Motown Museum...not to mention the crowded street! “L.A.” They sang and you saw the Santa Monica Pier, the Hollywood sign the La Brea Tar Pits and again with the crowded, very crowded street of people to stand up and march! They seemed to be doing the same simple step in a huge line dance! “We’re gonna take a trip across the sea, everybody come along with me, we’re gonna hit the night town in gay Paris,” They flashed the streets at the Arc de Triomphe and we all knew the Eiffel Tower! “C’est la vie, having your cup of tea.” They showed a few having their cup of tea.

“All over the world, everybody got the word, everybody everywhere is gonna feel tonight!” Crowds of men, women with their families behind banners and signs in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, all languages it seemed. “London,” they showed Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the crowds in the street there, “Hamburg,” the famous Brandenburg Gate and the crowds in streets with their signs, “Paris,” again the Eiffel Tower but now the Moulin Rouge, and the unrelenting crowds behind the banners and holding signs! Different people, but one cause! “Rome,” the Colosseum. The crowd! The banners and signs. “Rio,” even the least traveled knew the giant statue of Christ! “Hong Kong,” the Hong Kong Park and the crowded streets. With signs again! “Tokyo,” the Tokyo Skytree. The crowd. They sang of Amsterdam, Monte Carlo, Shard End with crowded streets and signs. All landmarks with crowds holding signs and united for one reason!

I was smiling grandly. I loved Electric Light Orchestra, and I loved the song. It played to the end and Mike reappeared. “If you don’t understand now, we are. We will be and there is nothing...nothing you can do about it. Pick battles you can win! You won’t win this! We are!”

I grabbed Mike, “Wow! That was awesome!” I hugged him tightly.

“It’s still being worked on...” Mike began which I stopped by kissing him firmly.

“It’s perfect!” I reassured him. “Fret, tweak what you want. I do that, but don’t lose the message! Don’t overthink.”

“He’s right!” Tom encouraged. “Hell, I was inspired! I marched in New York and there was nearly 75,000 marchers!”

“I think with this movie,” I grinned. “That will count for several marches.”

“You did this, Dad?” Chet asked almost in disbelief.

“Are you doubting I did?” Mike asked almost indignantly. “I may not be anywhere near PopE’s level, but I know good songs when I hear them.” He grudged a nod, “I gathered scenes from around the world and put them together.”

“And did a super job!” I added.

“See?” Mike shot at his son who chuckled.

I was smiling at how well we were getting along. “I hate to end this...”

“But you have another busy day tomorrow,” Mike nodded. “What’s tomorrow?”

“Robin Hood," I answered. “Only forget Maid Marion, he’s interested in Little John!” I laughed, “I could get used to this. Doing a scene several times to get it right. I always had to set the perfect scene with my shows.”

“Aw,” Chet said disappointedly. “Time for bed?”

I hugged Chet, “Stay up. You don’t have to go to bed.”

“Well,” Mike began protesting.

I whispered to Mike, “He won’t make it. No stimulating I give it fifteen minutes and he’ll be sound asleep.”

“Sure,” Mike ruffled his son’s hair. “Good night.”

Chet looked alarmed, “No putting me to bed? No story?”

“I’m going to bed,” Mike explained. “You didn’t want to.”

 

Mike came in the bedroom as I pulled the covers down and was about to get in bed. “You were right.” He smiled. “Fifteen minutes and he could barely keep his eyes open.”

“He’s an energetic little boy,” I grinned. “He burns that energy fast.” I hugged him, “You are a good daddy, Mike.”

Mike nodded, “I try to be.”

“Coming here together was a great idea,” I said kissing him.

 

The next morning the chaos returned! With just a little control.

Tom entered as Mike got his large cup of coffee and I got my cold latte!

I waved at Andy, “Tom, this is Andy Jonns! He keeps us happy and well fed so we only have to worry about our work.”

Andy shook Tom’s hand and asked brightly, “Are there preferences with you? I can make anything. Coffee? Asian foods preferred? You name it.” He waved at what he cooked. “Eric prefers a high protein breakfast. I made a high protein breakfast crumble. He likes a spicy start, so I made a ground turkey enchilada...”

“I told him to stop!” Mike defended. “I can’t keep up!”

Andy chuckled, “Today, I’ll teach you some cheats if you like. You’ll keep up.”

 

We hit it hard. At least I did. I had some challenging dance moves to come up with while keeping up with the time period. The dancing was just that. Dancing! Circle dance and we didn’t invent the line dance. We’ve done that for thousands of years. The sound was Medieval with a bit more beat and rhythm thrown in. The characters were known! Robin Hood, Maid Marian (Who was a bubble head honestly. At least my casting of her character.) Little John (Who was not little at all. A handsome devil again played by Anthony Marcell, only you’d have to look hard to tell. He was good! A big dancer and we had chemistry. Why break the spell? Even Friar Tuck was familiar and gorgeous! Don’t forget the Sheriff of Nottingham! Again, gorgeous with a sinister touch. It was during one of those circle dances that Little John came in to be my dance partner. The excuse was to pass information to me, but he stayed a bit longer. We had the archery contest and you know where that went.

There were things I couldn’t get used to. The face shots for the emotions. I felt sorry for the Prop Master. As per my style, I showed up before I was to be there. Got another cold latte ready to work. Another weekend and another date with Corey. As with many who claim to have “nothing against” gays or lesbians...except when it’s in the close family! Charles Fielding came down from San Francisco to see what his son was doing. He caught us in a date, not that anything was going on yet, but he would not allow it! He stormed in just as Corey and my character, Daniel was in a kiss at a trendy restaurant. Charles told me he didn’t care that I was gay.

“But not your son,” I pointed out.

“He is not queer!” Charles told me.

“How would you know?” I demanded. “He is to conform to the guidelines you set for him! If he doesn’t...”

“He is a Fielding! He was born to a life that he will be in!” Charles stated firmly.

“He is a strong, brilliant man I wish to know more,” I turned to Corey. “It’s your life! Conform or don’t, I know you’ll be amazing. You decide,” I pointed at his father, “not him! I had to give up everything to be here. I don’t regret it. Don’t you give in. You know where I am!” I left the restaurant.

There were some fill-in parts, other shows I would dance and sing for. The fifties biker gang, King Arthur and the knights of the round table. (What can I say? With ancestry mostly from that part of the world, that was my favorite. Elton John said it best in his song. He was made in England. So, was I! His was just more recent and more intense. The people of that part of North Carolina came mostly from England, Ireland, and Scotland! Good song! I was also made in England.) The military groups, such as the group from Thebes. Like Mike said, we were, are and always will be. There were the fine tuning and locations shoots.

It was another busy day that finally concluded as in I collapsed in the car.

“Damn, you were busy!” Tom marveled.

I nodded, “I was. I think doing this movie is harder than my shows.”

“You’re doing Shakespeare tomorrow!?” Tom marveled.

I grudged a nod, “A little Julius Ceaser kind of.” I grinned, “I may have to adjust my evening meal. I need energy for a good show.”

“I’m exhausted watching you!” Tom admitted.

“Me, too!” Mark added. “I had no idea what all you did.”

I looked up suddenly, “Are you still here?” I asked in a mutter.

“Yep,” Mark nodded. “Silent in the background but here. You make it all seem easy!”

I nodded, “That’s what an artist does.”

Mark smiled more, “I know what you need! A trip to Disneyland!”

“Disneyland!?” I balked. “For me or you?”

“Both!” Mark waved at Tom. “You, too!”

“And how many trips to see Mickey this year so far?” I asked. “Two? This will be three!”

“Technically,” Mark objected. “You visited once for Gay Days last year. Five days for one visit. This is a visit for California is one visit.” He waved at Tom, “He’s not been.” He shrugged. “Eli and Avi will be here and haven’t been once, so...no one can have too many visits with Mickey.”

“Fine,” I rolled my eyes.

“You’re not filming Monday,” Mark began. “You both are filming on Saturday. You’re both off Sunday and Monday. We can go Monday!”

“Why not Sunday?” Tom grinned.

“Everyone will be there on Sunday,” Mark justified. “Monday is better.”

“What we do for our children,” I sighed.

“Chet’s worth it,” Mark defended.

“Not him!” I blurted. “You!” I grinned. “We’ll go!” I looked at Tom, “If you agree.”

“Who doesn’t like Mickey?” Tom asked.

 

We entered the house and was instantly greeted by Chet.

“Uncle T!” Chet shouted and looked at Tom, “I learned about Uncle Tom. I won’t call you that again.”

“Thank you,” Tom nodded.

Cindy grinned, “I made a Tex-Mex Chicken dish for you.” She looked at me, “I heard you really put it all out today...”

“Yes, I did.” Then my eyebrows rose, I know it. “How the Hell did you know...” I began and turned to Mark. “Did you do this?”

Mark nodded, “I did. Manager, friend, then family. You are the star! I can’t have you gaunt.” He nodded at Tom, “With your help, of course.”

Tom nodded, “I know. I know.”

 

The next day was the same. Busy early, a lot of dancing. In a toga!

Then Saturday night came, and we had a late evening arrival. The Sabbath was over!

“Uncle Eli!” Chet greeted happily hugging Eli and then Avi, “Uncle Avi!”

“That boy has a lot of uncles!” Mike muttered.

“And getting more every day!” I added hugging my friends.

Cindy was looking a bit more tired, but we saw the loaded table.

“I made Matzo Ball Soup, Herb-crusted rack of lamb,” she waved at her steaming dishes, “Green beans are naturally kosher, and I can’t imagine anyone following a religion that won’t allow chocolate. I made Chocolate Mousse cake.” She ruffled Chet’s hair. “I told you I can do kosher.”

Avi grinned, “I’ve eaten a ham sandwich on white bread with mayonnaise. This is great!”

“We’re going to Disneyland tomorrow,” Mike announced.

“We are?” Chet asked happily.

Mike nodded, “I know that Walt Disney was known for being antisemitic, I didn’t know if...”

Eli’s head faltered a shrug, “Evidence doesn’t support that.” He shrugged. “He’s dead so we can’t ask him. They can’t keep us out of the park,” he grinned. “I look forward to it!”